


We've been trying to reach you concerning your car's extended warranty

by King0fTheFall



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mortal, Drabble, F/M, Noice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:22:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28937712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/King0fTheFall/pseuds/King0fTheFall
Summary: At 26, Percy decides to take his road test.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Kudos: 33





	We've been trying to reach you concerning your car's extended warranty

**Author's Note:**

> Old, throwaway drabble

Percy sat hunched over his laptop.

His half full cup of coffee laid cold and forgotten as he typed away. Hitting the last key, he leaned back and slumped against his chair before proceeding to look over his handiwork.

"Need a refill, Jackson?"

He looked up and saw that a familiar curly-haired Latino with pointed ears was smirking down at him.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks, Leo."

"Good, I wasn't gonna get it for you anyway," Leo joked before turning and going back to the counter.

Percy exhaled through his nose in amusement and shook his head before turning back to his laptop.

He was filling out his DMV application to take the road test. The very same road test that he'd been putting off since senior year of high school. This was New York City! A driver's license isn't really required with the subway being a thing. But Percy's new job required him to have one.

And now, twenty driving lessons later, he sat at Leo's diner filling out his information to schedule a date. Although he may have fallen asleep during the five-hour class, Percy had the certificate to show that he completed it. It was online anyway. No one would know.

Now, as long as the DMV people didn't ask for the Declaration of Independence, he should have all the required paperwork ready.

January 7th.

Percy ran a hand through his hair and sighed. That was a little later than he was expecting. There were still two weeks to go until that day, but he should've expected that. He couldn't afford to mess it up considering his job required him to start in a month. There was no time for a second attempt.

Taking a deep breath, he downed the rest of his coffee and packed up his things.

"Later, Leo! Tell your mom I said 'hey,'" Percy said over his shoulder while heading for the exit.

"Sure thing, _Perseus_!"

Leo received a middle finger in return.

◆ ◆ ◆

"Come on, Grover!" Percy whined into his phone. "This is me we're talking about!"

"That's exactly the problem…" Grover deadpanned. "And it's my day off too."

"Please, please, please, plea—"

"Okay, okay!" He exclaimed, exasperated. "Not one scratch, Perce. I mean it."

"Love you," Percy sang amiably.

Grover sighed. He could practically hear the grin on his friend's face.

"Yeah, yeah…"

◆ ◆ ◆

"This is going to be an informational road test. I'm going to give you a series of lefts, rights…"

Percy sat as stiff as a statue and his eyes were trained upon his examiner's face as she read aloud the paragraphs detailing what was to be expected during the test. Her voice was firm yet delicate at the same time; he couldn't help but relish in the sound of it.

He took notice of how her eyebrows scrunched together when she was concentrating on something, the faint few freckles that adorned her nose, her supple pink lips…

But what was most captivating were her eyes. Twin lustrous orbs that seemed to encapsulate the prowling clouds of a storm.

"Any questions?"

He snapped out of his stupor, blinking rapidly, not having paid attention to a single word that escaped her lips.

"Uh—um, what's your name?"

All her expectations went out the window hearing her examinee ask that of all things. Percy noticed how her eyebrows scrunched up again briefly before going back to normal.

"Annabeth."

"Huh?"

"My name is Annabeth," she enunciated slowly, tilting her head slightly to the right. Percy took into account how a few of her golden curls bounced with the motion.

"Oh, okay, cool."

Her raised eyebrow caused Percy to sheepishly chuckle, rubbing the back of his head.

"Pull out when you're ready," Annabeth instructed, settling herself and looking forward.

Percy smothered a smirk at the double entendre, his nervousness forgotten for a moment, before signaling left and merging into traffic.

The roads weren't too busy today and for that, Percy was thankful. He didn't need some idiot driver doing something reckless, which _he_ would ultimately end up taking the blame for. Unfortunately, that's how his luck tended to pan out.

He risked a glance to his right and was slightly unsettled seeing her expression set in stone. It certainly didn't help his nerves or confidence one bit.

"Continue straight and turn right at the light."

Percy repeated her instruction in his mind and resisted the urge to glance at her every time she spoke. She had a quiet voice, but it commanded attention. And he was only so happy to give it.

He made sure to keep his speed under 25 as they cruised down an open road and approached a stop sign.

"Turn left here."

He made the two appropriate stops and slowly inched up, watching for traffic as he did so. He stopped when he saw two cars approaching on the right lane.

 _Shit,_ he thought, noticing his position on the road. He was stopped halfway into the left lane and would be obstructing traffic if any cars came this way.

"This is not a good place to stop," she told him in that same soft voice.

He cringed a little. "Yeah…"

He saw her fingers fly across her tablet through his peripheral and bit his lip as he turned. Thankfully, no cars had approached in the time he was stopped. The exam continued in the same fashion when he felt the pinpricks of anxiousness begin to claw at him.

' _Is it normal for a road test to last this long?'_ he wondered, confused.

He glanced at the middle of the dashboard to see the clock and his brows furrowed. They had been driving for quite some time now, but he remained calm. It wouldn't do well to mess up now.

Then a thought struck him and he tried hard but ultimately failed to contain his chuckles.

"Something funny?" Annabeth asked, glancing over at him. She was loosely holding onto her tablet but had long since stopped taking note of her examinee's progress.

"I was just thinking about my driving instructor—Grover—he probably thinks you kidnapped me or something," he joked.

He would be lying if he said his eyes didn't widen ever so slightly at the laugh that escaped her lips. It was so full of warmth and life. And it made him want to make her laugh again and again to hear that sound as much as possible.

"Turn right," she said, still amused. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind that, though."

Percy's eyebrows shot up and the corners of his mouth began to twitch upward. "Can't say that I would."

She smiled and took out her phone, pressing a few things before giving him more directions. He followed her instructions but was confused. Prior to the test, he had searched up the exam site's location to get a general understanding of the roads.

But now they were approaching a completely new neighborhood.

"Parallel park up ahead, behind the Camaro," she directed.

And there it was. His most feared task. He's messed up on parking while practicing so many times, he'd lost count.

He released a shaky breath as he signaled right and slowly lined up with the car on his right. But he did so, nervously holding his breath while reversing and turning his head to look backward.

He kept glancing to his left every few seconds to make sure he wasn't too close to the curb. Looking backward didn't really make parking any easier but it was required for safety apparently.

Turning his wheel all the way to the left, he reversed again until he was parallel with the curb and shifted his gear to park. He expected her to tell him to pull out again but was taken aback when she unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car.

Percy watched, dumbfounded and a little mesmerized, as she stretched her legs and glanced back at him. She leaned over and looked at him through the passenger window.

"Come on, you're buying me a coffee," she said, gracing him with a breathtaking smile. "Oh, and you passed."


End file.
